For some athletes, a race is just an entry on the calendar. For others, it becomes a mirror, reflecting how far they’ve come, how far they’re willing to go, and what they’re willing to learn about themselves. As UM24 arrives at its 10th Anniversary and final edition, Adil Adham and Chai Yee Ling return not as runners chasing titles, but as two individuals confronting a race that has shaped their thinking for years.

UM24, which will take place on 22 – 23 November 2025, starting at 8:00am at the TAR University Roof Top Stadium, Setapak, KL, has always been an outlier in Malaysia’s ultra scene: a looped ultra that exposes an athlete’s discipline more than their engine.

Adil arrives as last year’s 6-hour champion, now stepping into the 100 km category. Yee Ling, the reigning 100-mile winner, takes on the 24-hour test for the third time. Their decision to return speaks less about defending titles and more about what this final edition represents.

“Last year’s 6-hour race taught me a lot about the importance of strategy over speed,” Adil says, framing his shift to the 100 km as a natural progression rather than an escalation. For Yee Ling, the motivation is layered: “Firstly, I want to use this as my training for next year’s HK100. Secondly, I want to see my progress in improvement. Thirdly, I heard this is going to be the last edition of UM24, so I want to show my support.”

Across its decade-long history, UM24 has rewarded athletes who think clearly under monotony. There are no mountains to distract, and no scenery to soften the strain. Just repetition, and the decisions made inside it.

Adil steps into this knowing that distance, not time, is the real opponent now. “The biggest mental adjustment is shifting from racing against the clock to racing with the distance,” he says. He talks about breaking the race into manageable sections, keeping calm early, and finding rhythm rather than force. His approach shows a kind of mathematical clarity: simplify the challenge, reduce the emotional noise, repeat the plan.

Yee Ling’s preparation leans on the opposite end of the spectrum: experience over structure, intuition over calculation. She admits she does not approach the 24-hour race with rigid planning. What she has instead is memory (two editions’ worth) and the self-awareness built from navigating both good races and difficult ones.

“I think my advantage is my running and race experience. To start the challenge, I think patience and consistency are the keys to success in a long-hours run,” she says. Her mindset is disarmingly simple: run happily, treat it like a normal training day, walk when necessary, and keep the body loose enough to go again.

 

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If Adil processes UM24 like a puzzle, Yee Ling approaches it like a long conversation with herself.

As the loops pile up, both runners must contend with disruptions not visible from the outside. For Adil, it’s the repetition itself. “I keep my focus by breaking the race into small goals… It’s about staying calm and finding flow in the repetition rather than fighting it,” he explains.

For Yee Ling, the interruptions come from the realities of being a female ultra runner: managing energy swings, mental fatigue, even racing through menstrual cycles. “We learn how to adapt to it as a daily routine. We also prepare extra energy bars, or ginger hot tea to warm up the body.”

UM24’s logistical simplicity has often been its silent equalizer. Every lap is an aid station. Every lap is a checkpoint. Every lap is an opportunity to either repair or ruin the race.

Adil intends to use that advantage deliberately. “I’ve planned to take small, frequent intakes every 15-20 minutes… Having access each lap helps me stay ahead of dehydration rather than reacting to it,” he says.

Yee Ling, on the other hand, has refined her own toolkit from seasons of long races: “Some solid foods, hot soups, hot drinks, caffeine drinks, isotonic drinks, and some energy gels are important. During hot sun, I can refuel with iced isotonic drinks. If it is raining, I can refuel with hot ginger tea.”

 

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Even their relationship with pressure stands in contrast. Adil carries the weight of being “the previous champion,” yet he refuses to let that identity dictate his choices. “The goal isn’t to defend a title; it’s to deliver my best performance on the day,” he says.

Yee Ling, stepping away from her previous 100-mile crown to tackle 24 hours, is even more direct: “Defending the championship is not my main aim. I would rather enjoy myself and hope to break a Personal Best (PB) for my own 24-hour run record.” For her, the race is both an audit and a celebration (a final check on her progress, and a final salute to the event itself).

What keeps both runners moving is not competition, but meaning. Adil uses his internal rhythm (counting, pacing cues, micro-targets) to stay mentally alive. Yee Ling leans on reminders of where her motivation comes from. “I think of my mum who is always supporting me, her spirit and encouragement always inspire me,” she says. Ultra running has always been a sport that reveals a person’s mental architecture. In UM24’s final edition, both athletes show blueprints built on quiet resilience.

As UM24 closes its decade-long run, the race leaves behind more than results. For athletes like Adil and Yee Ling, it becomes a marker in their personal timeline: a place where they tested ideas, shaped habits, and met versions of themselves they hadn’t yet understood.

Adil sees success not in victory, but in execution: “If I can finish knowing I managed myself the best, that would feel like a true success, regardless of the position.”

Yee Ling frames her goal with the blunt honesty of someone who has lived through every kilometre: “Hopefully, it will be a PB record for 24 hours and a sweet memory for a happy ending to 2025.”

The last edition of UM24 will not be defined by who stands on the podium. It will be defined by what these runners carry into it, and what they carry out. In a race built on loops, endings are rarely abrupt. They arrive quietly: one lap, one decision, one disciplined effort at a time.